Preview

Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization Summary

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1238 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization Summary
Global Warming With global warming being one of the most talked about issues in the world today, its threat to potential environmental crises in poor countries has caused many already unstable governments to collapse. These crises are brought on by ever worsening environmental degradation. Nicholas Kristof, a world traveler and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist has contributed to this responsibility by informing the public with his 2007 article, “Our Gas Guzzlers, Their Lives.” Lester Brown also discusses the negative affects global warming has in the developing world in his article, “ Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?” The authors both use similar and different tactics in making their articles affective to their readers. …show more content…
Once he brings the economy into the picture, it makes his point more attractive to an American audience. He also shows his enthusiasm and eagerness to help bring awareness to the worsening situation evolving in Bujumbura, Burundi. Kristof shows off how compassionate he is through his win-a-trip journey in which he takes one student and one teacher who are winners of an essay contest on a reporting trip. Telling readers about his win-a-trip journey allows him to portray himself as dedicated to helping spread the word about how his audience can help people in third world countries. Ultimately, Kristof uses his compassion and interest for countries like these to draw in the reader; therefore, making his essay and arguments more respectable and worth reading. His knowledge about countries like Burundi only adds to his credibility, which makes his essay more persuasive. One way Brown builds ethos in his article is by stating, “many years I have studied global agricultural, population, environmental and economic trends and their interactions” (Brown). This shows readers that he is knowledgeable and has had experience with the issues he is informing the reader about. Brown also uses a confident tone when talking about facts and his thoughts on the effects of global warming. Having a confident tone is an attention grabber to readers and is something both authors do to grab the audience’s attention. On top of using effective ethos, Kristof and Brown also builds a valid argument using

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Notable author, educator, and environmentalist, Bill McKibben, in his essay, “Global Warming: Get Up! Stand Up!”, argues the effects on global warming to the environment. He argues from his environmentalist experience that carbon dioxide is not only harming the ozone layer. McKibben’s purpose it to persuade readers to stand up for what they need and start a movement. He takes a defensive tone in order to inform the minds of his readers. In McKibben’s article “Global Warming: Get Up! Stand Up!” states the growing problem of global warming and urges readers to start a movement to end the problem.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The book addresses the issue of global warming, and illustrates how perspectives about the environment have changed throughout time. In the past, natural resources were regarded as materials to be exploited by humans for development. However, nowadays people realize that the supply of natural resources is limited and their reckless use jeopardizes the planet. As a result of this newfound understanding, people can now actively prevent the upcoming environmental crisis, which is essential for the survival of the Earth and humankind. The Weather Makers emphasizes how new ideas are the key to overcoming…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lower Division Capstone

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The purpose of this paper is to create an outline with three levels for a paper that is titled “Global Warming: Fact or Fiction” and support the points listed.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the past few decades the public has been made aware of the many threatening environmental changes happening to the world. This domino effect has proven to be the world’s most wicked problem because of how quickly things tend to escalate. Climate change alone has proven to have the most relationships with other environmental issues happening across the world and that is due to the interdependence of each and every issue. The first step in actually solving this issue is to not only to acknowledge these relationships, but to figure out a solution that can be applied globally.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Millions of people displaced, starving, and fighting each other to survive. This is the future of humanity in a world ravaged by climate change’s effects. Without taking action, powerful storms, droughts, and food shortages will only grow more severe; experts predict that 250 million will flee their countries by 2050. Sea levels will rise by almost two feet, flooding major coastal cities and leaving millions without access to food, water, or clean infrastructure. The lack of resources will bring about internal conflict, turning human beings against each other.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The logic used behind the authors argument is a particularly interesting one, in that it is primarily supported by the real-life case study of the island of Nauru. Using the events of what occurred on Nauru due to heavy economic greed and the complete and utter lack of environmental awareness, the author can provide the audience with something better than a hypothetical situation, - a situation that has already occurred. This makes the logic behind this paper far more compelling and eye-opening seeing as the situation that the author describes truly did occur, thus making the logic very hard to cast as false. The subject of this piece, as mentioned previously, is the story of the island of Nauru and the events that led to the devastation of its environment. This subject is something that is very relevant in today’s world, as global climate change and environmental degradation are the most pressing issues facing humanity today. While ninety-nine percent of all scientists conclude that climate change is a real, factual thing that is occurring due to human activity, there are still those that choose to ignore the facts are persist to believe that climate change is not a real thing, but with the subject being the story of a country that was devastated by the economic greed, it becomes nearly impossible for the nay-sayers to ignore the story of Nauru. Overall,…

    • 1149 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Editorial

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This article is a very effective means of communication and persuasion based on several factors. One reason that this editorial is so effective is because Alley gives examples of the problems that humans could face in the future due to abrupt climate change and global warming. For example, Alley mentioned such issues as uncomfortable conditions for humans because of extreme heat, melting of polar ice caps, and deadly heat waves. Alley did a good job of explaining How these problems are created. To do this, he described how too much carbon dioxide released by humans acts similar to a heavy blanket on a sleeping child, overheating the Earth. Although this is a good comparison, Alley could have been more effective by informing his audience on how large amounts of carbon dioxide deplete the ozone layer, which causes global warming.…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his article, The Earth Is Full, Friedman (2011) begins by stating that in recent years, first decade of 21st century, humanity encounters dangers that threaten humanity and the nature because of their unconcerned behaviors. Economic problems, high growing population rate and natural disasters compel humans to question about those recent years. The writer then moves on to the veteran Australian environmentalist-entrepreneur Paul Gilding and his book, Gilding, P. (2011) The Great Disruption: Why the climate crisis will bring on the end of shopping and the birth of a new world. New York: Bloomsbury Press. Gilding (2011) discusses how much land and water area humanity needs to produce the resources they consume and absorb their waste. According to Gilding (2011), earth is growing at a dangerous rate and points out that over-used resources and worsening ecologic environment damage to social and economic system. Friedman reports the current growth rate is 150 percent of earth’s sustainable capacity and states that excessive use of resources and too much waste that creates the problem, “The Earth Is Full.” He mentions about two loops; first, population growth and global warming push up food prices, which leads to political instability, which leads to higher oil prices, which leads to higher food prices, and so on in a insurmountable circle. Second, higher productivity means fewer jobs, which requires humans to produce more sources to create jobs. The more sources create global warming. Afterwards, the writer turns his attention to possible solutions. The solutions are discussed by giving Gilding’s eco-optimist view. In the article, also it is stated that economic systems are not changed without a crisis. Friedman (2011) states that “But don’t worry, we’re getting there.” Finally, Friedman prefers to use quotations from Gilding who say nations are heading for a crisis-driven choice and develop a new sustainable economic model slowly.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sci 207 Final Assignment

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Since the inception of planet earth, the sun has heated the planet. As earth cooled and an atmosphere developed, it provided a protective shell that allowed microscopic creatures and plant life to grow. As the species on earth diversified, plants began to absorb carbon dioxide and provided oxygen that was needed for animal life. In turn animals exhaled carbon dioxide for plant life. Over time, a complex symbiotic relationship developed between the earth’s weather, chemical elements, and living organisms. This balance has, for the most part, helped keep the global temperatures relatively constant. However, there are at least five times that global temperatures drastically changed resulting in the mass extinction of a good portion of the species living at that time. These were caused by natural occurring events such as extreme volcanic activity or an impact of a large asteroid on the earth. Now however, some scientist are questioning where or not human activities that produce large amounts of carbon dioxide will lead to extreme changes in climate and another mass extinction event. While the debate rages on, the earth continues to warm. Furthermore, very little has been done to address the issue as inaction continues to be the norm. And even though global warming is a natural phenomenon, there is evidence that human actions are exacerbating the problem to a point that it could ultimately lead to a collapse of the environment and the biodiversity of the planet, to include the possible elimination of the human race. Therefore, if there is even a possibility that human actions are contributing to global warming, the world should do everything it can to mitigate our carbon footprint.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “People tend to focus on the here and now. The problem is that, once global warming is something that most people can feel in the course of their daily lives, it will be too late to prevent much larger, potentially catastrophic changes,” Elizabeth Kolbert. For decades our world has been changing slowly, and we have felt the wrath of global warming. Recent hurricanes such as Ike, Wilma, Katrina, Rita, and now Sandy have caused many casualties, billions of dollars in damage and chaos to environments around the world. The effects of these storms are only getting greater with time. We can’t simply adapt to it, and the costs are incalculable. What we are facing is huge, global warming is real, and it is here! It’s time we start focusing on using clean energy exclusively, because the better option is out there.…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Asfew

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This Time magazine article talks about the extremes of global warming, from the very cold winter of 2010 to the extreme heat of 2012. The article goes on to talk about how global warming is adversely affecting the people of the United States through forest fires and by living in lands that have been scorched by the continually rising temperatures. This article does a very good job addressing the skeptics of global warming and shows them proof of global warming.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    President Obama informs the audience about the major effects that climate change causes. Mr. Obama acknowledge “ rising sea levels threaten every coastline. More powerful storms and flood threaten every continent.” as natural events caused by climate change. These statements show the drastic changes that results in the change of climate. Mr. Obama also states that “ more frequent drought and crop failures breed hunger… shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees” as other results of climate change. These events can…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Owen, J. (2007), ‘Warming May Spur Extinctions, Shortages, Conflicts, World Experts Warn’ for National Geographic News, April 6, 2007, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/04/070406-global-warming.html (date of access 15 December 2010)…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    For the past decade now there has been a long ongoing controversy, this controversy being this issue of global climate change. It has been a subject many people have been aware of yet few have actually talked about with the general public, as a result is has become one of the most undermined, yet widely discussed issues being held today amongst primarily scientists. Although scientist heavily debate on the subject, making suggestions on what needs to be done and pointing out the causes for climate change; we as a group need to take action in finding out what is happening to the Earth. It is only educating the general public is the only way we can come closer to reversing the damaged caused by global warming and climate…

    • 129 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The earth is experiencing ecological and environmental issues caused by global warming. The earth is changing drastically and it is up to the American people to get up and do something about it. Why Bother? written by Michael Pollan opens the reader's eyes in a compelling way to global warming and other related environmental issues. Pollan uses rhetorical strategies such as the use of current and past events, pathos, and ethos to persuade his readers “to bother” (312) and start thinking more about the environmental issues that involves everyone. Pollan tries to persuade his reader by looking at these global issues from many different standpoints.…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays